national resources defense council. "washington journal" is next. ♪ host: good morning, welcome to "washington journal." the democratic and republican presidential candidates are preparing for tomorrow night's town hall debate. as we head towards the second of three presidential debates this month, a new poll of voters say they want more information from the candidates. we want to hear from undecided voters this morning.

here are the numbers to call -- host: you can also find us on social media. send us a tweet, twitter.com/c- spanwj. you can also find the conversation on facebook, or you can e-mail us at journal@c- span.org. "the washington post's" has new information from a new poll -- the washington post" has new information from a new poll. looking at the opposite of that

statistic, here is a question format, "how much more questions -- how much more -- how many more questions you have for the candidates"? the first debate, it was 32%. the number was greater before the convention. while it has shrunk, it is still about one-quarter of the populace. what information are you lacking if you make your decisions and choices for campaign 2012? who are these undecided voters? what are they waiting for? it is a simple question. what do they want to hear that they have not yet heard from the candidates. he goes on to say by saying -- let's define that universe. the good folks --

host: so, what do you think? nick, st. clair shores. what information are you waiting for? caller: i am waiting to hear exactly the truth about medicare, i am waiting to hear which side has it. i think i know which side has exactly the truth. host: what do you think? caller code democrats have fallen for medicare. i tend to go with the democrats, even though i voted for john

mccain four years ago. host: so, are you doing research on line? will you be watching the debate? caller: i will be watching the debate. i was kind of upset about the last debate. the more that i think about the vice-presidential debate, the more upset by get about joe biden and his over the top approach. i am looking for the word. i have read the congressional quarterly and "the new york times" every day. i know my history. if ms. bromley told the truth, that would help. host: -- if mr. romney told the truth, that would help. host: alice, good morning.

caller: i am very much concerned about my great-grandchildren. i have three of them now. i would say that they will not survive, because i think it will not hold. i am worried about the country, then not doing anything. i have been trying to learn about what is going on with our environment. did you know that it is said that possibly formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid are two of the chemicals added to the water that is pushed into the ground when they have diffracting -- the fracking going on? i found out that in 2005 the natural gas industry was exempt from the clean air and water act because that is when the epa lost the power to regulate?

we do not even know about it. no one talks about it. i do not even understand. you have high-level nuclear waste and these candidates are talking about more nuclear plants being built. we know what happened in japan. it had to stay isolated for 100,000 years to 1 million years. i had been looking into this and i am really frightened. host: are you hearing the candidates talk about environmental issues? caller: they are talking about jobs. so many of these jobs they are talking about providing are in industries that dumped into the oceans. we share the oceans. the oceans flow. it is not just our country, it is going to be all the countries. and i do not think that they

think about their grandchildren. they do not stop to realize that there is no way they can escape. they think they can go off and hide somewhere? we breathe the same air. we drink the water. it is contaminated with chemicals and things. i should slow down and let you talk. host: you might be interested in our 8:30 segment, we will have bob james from the natural resources defense council, and he wrote a book called for " reckless." here are some things that our last caller brought up.

host code that comes to us from "the new york times." this story from "the new york times" is from a couple of months ago and is about the lack of environmental issues in campaign 2012. the world being a distant memory of four years ago, when been green was so popular. host: we will talk more about that at 8:30 with bob dean. kim, south carolina, what are you waiting to hear about? caller: i am waiting to hear more about what he is planning to cut. i know that he cannot give us all of that, because he wants to make a deal with congress and

everything. host: are you talking about one candidate in particular? or both of them? caller: mitt romney. he has changed so many times, i want some signal on where he is going to cut. host: you can join the conversation on safes -- on facebook, that is where this comes from -- host: what information do you need to decide your vote? joshua, good morning. caller: good morning. there are a few issues that are not being discussed in the election. we have got this two-party system that is just sound bites, bickering.

the libertarian candidates and his revolutionary ideas, they have to do with ascension, unity, economic reform. and um yeah, i would like more choice. host: we will talk more about third-party candidates this morning. but first, an obituary. arlen specter has passed away. a champion of moderation. host: let's look at what

president obama had to say about his death. host: arlen specter, of course, is in our video archives after his many years in the senate. he also appeared on our oral history program back in february of last year talking about his

involvement in the clarence thomas hearing. let's take a listen to what he had to say. [video clip] >> i found myself to be the focus of a lot of media attention and that did not surprise me. this was a big matter. this was a nomination to the supreme court of the united states of a 43-year-old man. an african-american nominated to replace thurgood marshall. he was the man whose views whose views did not coincide with mine. we had a young woman who had stepped forward to testify, to

bring certain facts forward to the public that were very stark and had attracted a lot of attention. later i was told that people were watching it around the world in different time zones. that this was something that they were riveted to. and people still are. so, was i surprised that there was this tremendous amount of attention and focus on the attention? nope. see host: that was senator arlen specter. this is from "usa today."

host: as mentioned, senator arlen specter died yesterday. a funeral service has been announced at the heart of zion temple in penn valley, pa.. our question for you this morning is -- what do you need to decide your vote in campaign

2012? we are asking about this from our undecided voters, primarily. our last caller discussed third- party candidates.

host: jack, sydney, montana, what information do you need to make your decision? caller: i would like to know who paid for the obama book when he got out of college. these professors say that they do not know how you conceal your record and say that he has been completely that it when this is not true. also, there is some stuff on the internet that obama -- obama was speaking with a tag on it. how can this be kept quiet? host: sounds like you have left -- made up your mind.

caller: i could say the same thing about mitt romney, who destroyed his computers to hide his records. host: do you think that's he should release more of his tax returns? caller: i do not care. that is his business. talking about a 47%, that is a true statement. turning this around, it is like what is going on in libya. the butt is supposed to stop somewhere. host: sounds like you have made up your mind. what are you are -- what are you on the fence about? caller: how can we know who to vote for when the truth is not out there. host: alonso. caller: this last caller is a prime example as to what is going on with this election. everyone wants to think that mr.

obama is some sort of secret muslim with a secret agenda. i mean, it is bull. the man is a wonderful person. the first black man to be on the harvard law review, a constitutional scholar. come on. host: have you made up your mind? caller: i saw cnn with the green party candidates and the votes advocating the legalization of marijuana. we fought that battle back in the 70's. i was smoking a little bit myself. i do not today, but the whole point of it is that young people are going to try things, there is nothing you can keep from them.

generation after generation, they said rock'n'roll was horrible, the devil landaulet stuff. the point is, mr. romney and mr. obama could strip naked and walk out in public and there would still be people wanting to know what they have got to hide. host: let's look at some comments coming to us from facebook. host: you can join the conversation on facebook by looking for c-span and weighing in there. michael, good morning. caller code morning. give me a couple of minutes, please. -- caller: good morning. give me a couple of feet minutes, please. ralph nader is an arab. host: what does he have to do with this election? caller: he disrupted the last

election between george w. bush and john kerry. he never talks about religion because he is an arab. host: what do you think about campaign 2012 and your vote? have you decided who you are voting for? caller: yes. host: well, we are talking to undecided voters this morning. robert, michigan, are you with us? caller: [unintelligible] host: we are having some phone trouble there, so we're going on to our next call. gino, rhode island. caller: i just want to talk about the fact that i want to see someone say something about our inadequate tax laws. you have these foreign corporations, american corporations that operate

overseas and pay no taxes. companies like general electric, apple, mobile, exxon, they make huge amounts of money. they have to dollar or $3 trillion and will not bring that money into the united states unless they get some kind of special tax deal. the last time they repatriated any money it was at 5%. these corporation should be paying 30%. they want to wait until they pass a wall where they can bring the money back with no taxes, or 5%. we also have the fact that people like gates and buffet turn their money, $120 billion, so they will not have to pay taxes, into charitable trusts.

seems a lot of people are doing that. this takes billions of dollars off of the tax rolls. i want to hear what the presidential candidates are going to do about these inequities in the tax system. host: george, louisville, colorado, good morning. caller: i think i am mainly undecided about the issue of the middle-class voter. i was watching yesterday morning before it started and they had a small clip on from the 2000 debate between bush and core. you could have just superimpose the images on there. they were talking about the tax cut for the rich and the middle- class. here it is, 12 years later.

to borrow a line from them, from the conservative, keep the middle class? how was that working out for you? we know where the menu is heading. i am just wondering which candidate truly cares about the middle-class and if the middle class is just been used at election time. host: are there specific messages or areas of the middle class, and come, that you want to hear talk about? -- income, they you want to hear talked about? caller: i would like to hear exactly what would be put into place for the middle class and to keep the further shrinking from happening.

host: ok. "the new york times" magazine section yesterday had a piece that was on the election and how would was supposed to be on competing visions, but has become how much we all have in common. host: what information do you need to decide at this point? kate, michigan. caller: good morning.

a few things. first of all, i lost my money in the stock market. i want to know what happened to that. if you had your money invested in social security, would you lose it again? i worked for 30 years in the auto industry. i get medicare and medicaid, even though i retired with blue cross, blue shield. if they give me a voucher, i have so many medical bills from this, i have to pay with no money to pay for it. if they give me a voucher, how will i be able to be covered? host: minneapolis, minn., c.j., good morning. caller: thank you for letting me call.

check this out, that same weekend that they got osama bin laden, it was the friday the the government was supposed to shut down. how come no one is talking about that? the republican congress was about to shut the government down. i do not understand why no one is talking about that. in a way, i want obama to win, but in a way i want him to lose. because what is the point? host: you are a supporter of president obama? caller: not really. not if you will go through another stressful four more years fighting with congress.

i want the government -- the people -- the government to come together and respect who the people elect. host: how can that happen? caller: so far, the man who loses will walk away a rich man. what is the real reason to wanting to win, unless he is trying to finish what he started. host: let's go to our next call. glenn, concord. what information do you need to decide your presidential vote? caller: i was pretty much decided after the first debate. pointing fingers and calling everyone liars, that is what they did in the fifth grade. caller: -- host: how has that changed your opinion?

caller: i cannot vote for someone who sits there and says liar, liar. host: do you think one candidate is using the tactic more than the other? caller: when i was a youngster, it was easy that they were the liar. i am not sure that things have changed. host: what does it mean for your vote this year? caller: i am leaning towards mitt romney, i do not think i can support people that act like little kids. host: ok. looking at this question of whether or not voters change their opinion after the first presidential debate a few weeks ago, "the washington post" tackles it.

host: dish -- this story showing that the presidential debate did not do much for respondents in this poll. who would you vote for if the election were being held today? you can see the numbers now and from before the first debate are quite similar. sidney, ohio. caller: i have a couple of issues. one of them is on abortion. i want to know where mitt romney

stands. an innocent life is an innocent life, whether it is from rape or incest, and it is murder still the same. i am also really upset with the republican congress not working with president obama. that is not will be put them in office for. i do not know if i can vote republican, because they will not want to work with him. i do not like being blackmailed by the congress. that really angered me more than anything. with obama, i say i am worried about the congress not working with them, but i am leaning towards obama because i live in ohio and obama held the ohio and i think that people should show some loyalty. how fast did they think that the

economy was supposed to grow, with all of the damage that bush and cheney did? we are a nation that needs instant gratification. come on, we cannot mickey mouse the country. we have to really fix things and make sure that they are fixed instead of just wanting this instant fix that does no good. i am going out canvassing today with a political group. i went with the democrats, and i went to the mitt romney rally when he was here. he was so full of crap and all of these people were clapping for him. i could not stand it. are they stupid or something? host: you said that abortion is an important issue to you, that you are pro-life? caller: no, i am pro-choice for women. host: in it -- i misunderstood

your comments. let's look at this article from "the new york times." host: we talked about that a little bit yesterday on "washington journal" and we will talk more about how this issue is coming into play for campaign 2012. we will look at how this is affecting the support and a vote. let's point out where the vice presidential candidates are today. the men at the top of the ticket plan to hunker down for the debate. both hitting the campaign trail today, the vice president appears in nevada and paul ryan

campaigns in his home state of wisconsin and in the battle ground state of ohio. michael. new york, new york. caller: i wanted to get a complement from your lovely host. i am in the business mba program. i wanted to give you an observation. i did like the obama statement, no cuts in the military, only cuts in the social programs. mitt romney has a unique idea. he wants to make the minimum social security thing $1,250 per month. hist so, the idea of making a minimum payment, people earning

over a $100,000 could give up their social security payment, because $100,000 is a substantial amount of money. one of the things that i wanted to point out to people watching the program, on the canadian formula the reason the numbers are not coming out is based set up inflation for, and how they do it is-oil. -- minus oil. that was from 2003 and george bush jr.. if you add in the oil price, inflation is well over 6%. i would like to thank you very much for allowing me to express my opinion. have a really wonderful day.

host: thank you, michael. you, too. talk shows on sunday, campaign 2012 was in full force. let's take a look at some of the comments that were made talking about tomorrow night's debate. [video clip] >> i think you are right, president obama will have to come out swinging and making consistent with what they have been doing this whole campaign. running hundreds of millions of dollars around the country, mischaracterizing governor romney's positions, misrepresenting him. you will see that again on tuesday night. host: here is "usa today."

host: she is moderating for the first time in an election season while moderator's are under greater than usual scrutiny." with more speculation about how the candidates will do tomorrow night in the debate, let's hear

from robert gibbs. [video clip] >> he knew it when he walked offstage, that he has got to be more energetic. i think you will see someone who is very passionate about the choices our country faces and putting the choice in front of voters. will we build the economy from the middle out? give them opportunity? or will we do this from the top down, the perspective from the romney campaign? host: that was robert gibbs talking yesterday on cnn and what he expects to see from the man that he supports for the presidency. election 2012, "the new york times," --

host: you can see president obama they're hitting the election headquarters in williamsburg, virginia. there are five tips for presidential campaigns and he is already looking at the post-game

analysis. he says that the spin room is very important and that what happens during the debate live its capture on twitter and that the candidates play a role in creating the narrative of what happens next. also, advertisements and more debate prep. we will hear about foreign policy one week from today. campaign 2012, what do you need to hear from -- what do you need to hear to make a decision? westchester, good morning. caller: i would like to hear a little bit more from mitt romney about what he will be actually cutting, what programs. when they did the welfare reform, the food stamps were temporary, not a lifestyle. once upon a time there were people who were using it as a

lifestyle. they spend their whole life on the assistance. since then it has become a temporary measure for people between jobs and work. i have a couple problems with mitt romney. one, he has no compassion for the poor. he seems to have none at all. as a woman, i have heard stories, and i am in my mid- 50's, i have heard stories from other relatives when i was young, a woman did not have any right or any say over her body. people coming in dead or half dead from illegal abortions. i believe that everyone should have a right to choose for themselves.

i am not so sure that mitt romney would help as far as jobs. host: sounds like you're leaning towards president obama. caller: it seems that way. i try to hear everything. i want to hear more from mitt romney. caller code does it keep you more engaged to still be undecided, even though you're leaning towards a candidate? do you like waiting to make that decision? host: -- caller: yes, i do. i like that very much. host: let -- thank you for sharing with to have to say. dean, good morning. caller: i did not think that obama had done a good job, so i looked to the alternative, mitt romney. but then there is this tax plan. in the stand that the details cannot be set in stone, but the

one piece of information i cannot seem to find, this is a revenue neutral plan for the aggregate amount of money? the only reason to change it then, i guess, is for full pay. i cannot find this in the written documentation on his website, the little guy, the taxpayers, do they let us earn more? pay more? it is not clear to me. how are we actually shifting around who pays for what? the president doing a terrible job, saying trust me, hard to do that. host: you have not heard enough specifics from president obama? caller: not the specifics people want to hear.

at the same time, his plans to not add up. there is not enough in revenue increases to get us back on path. host: these messages from twitter -- and from facebook -- host: what do you think, hilda, in atlanta, georgia? you are next. although turn your tv down for us. caller: what does mitt romney think about evading the war itself, keeping his children out of the war, talking about sending our children into war. host: does it matter that

president obama did not serve? caller: no. host: sounds like you have made up your mind. caller: yes, i have. host: we are taking calls from undecided voters this morning. 28%, according to this poll, need more information to make a decision. we will continue talking with you here on "washington journal" and what you think of the candidate's position. coming up next, the conservative vote with alberto cardenas from the american conservative union. and later on we will be talking about the environment and the campaign with author and environmentalist, bob deans. ♪

[video clip] >> this is not about governor bush, this is not about me, this is about you. i said this before. if you want someone who believes that we are better off eight years ago than we are now, and if we should go back to emphasize and tax cuts mainly for the wealthy, here is your man. if you want someone who will fight for you and fight for middle-class tax cuts. then i am your man, i want to be. i doubt anyone here makes more than $330,000 for year. i will not ask you, but if you do -- >> it would be outside the rules. [laughter] >> i will not ask it. but, if everyone here was dead on in the middle of the middle- class, then the tax cuts for

every single one of you all added up would be less than what his plan would give to just one member of the top wealthiest 1%. you judge for yourself whether or not that is fair. >> we are moving on. no tax relief under your plan, according to mr. bush. >> you talk about eight years? in eight years they have not gotten anything done on medicare, social security, medical bill of rights. >> bill clinton and ross perot, and every election since, presidential hopefuls have taken questions from undecided voters in the same town hall style. tuesday night, watch president obama and mitt romney in their town hall debate.

>> "washington journal" continues. alberto cardenas host: -- host alberto cardenas -- a host: alberto cardenas, thank you so much for coming in this morning. you were on cnn yesterday and said you believe the president was in real trouble in florida. here is the story, from politico. the race in this pivotal state may not even be close, according to alberto cardenas. guest: florida has had 15 presidential campaigns, the democrats have only one four and in each instance it has been a landslide. anytime a disclose, republicans when florida. the reason for that is that a lot of our southern democrat voters are more conservative and it is tough for a democrat to win our state.

the polling numbers as of late show a strong trend towards mitt romney. host: what do you think about immigrants and the latino community? caller: they have always had a higher percentage of latino voters were voting for republicans than the other states. that is attributed to the elected leaders reaching out to the voters. historically they have had over 40% voting. president bush had over 50%. governor bush would get even 60% of the latino voters. this is not a typical state in terms of latina support. host: this story, immigration reform, the mitt romney softening stance putting of hard-liners. mitt romney, having to walk a fine line between latino voters and keeping his conservative base happy when it comes to

cases like immigration. host: he can work on a bipartisan immigration bill that satisfies the conservatives. as the chairman of the american conservative union, i have a lot of input on the issue. basically, look, border security and law and order are key. conservative folks do not like the idea of the legal status in this country. -- illegal status in this country. the devil is in the details, of course. look, this country without immigration is on a downward spiral in terms of population. we do not want to be another japan. we do not want a diminishing population that counts as an aging population, lessening our gross domestic product opportunity. everyone realizes we want to be

for immigration. what he wants to do is get immigration reform accomplished in order to do that. i think that maybe the tone changes in the general election. the substance has not changed. host: if you would like to join the conversation about campaign 2012 and conservatives, here are the numbers to call -- host: what are the most important issues to conservatives in this election? caller, obviously, -- guest: obviously, the economy, tax reform. under this president we are amassing a debt that is equal to the debt amassed by the

previous 43 presidents. right now we pay $282 billion in national interest every year for our national debt. by year 2021, it will be $3 trillion. you would be paying as much interest as you would be financing the whole budget. financially, it is unsustainable. we have to stop increasing our national debt, something this president is not willing to do. we have to have tax reform and we need to be energy independent. over four years, he has not dealt with tax reform or energy reform. he has increased the debt to the

point where our credit rating has been downgraded. host: this new obama advertisement hit mitt romney on his anti-abortion record. [video clip] >> making a decision? wondering what to believe about mitt romney? when it comes to access to birth control and the services provided by planned parenthood, we must remember this -- >> i will cut off funding to planned parenthood. >> he will cut us off. >> planned parenthood, need to get rid of that. >> the real mitt romney. >> alberto cardenas -- host: alberto cardenas, what do you think about that? guest of the governor romney position is that they should not receive taxpayer funding in order to accomplish missions that are against the will of many americans.

so, we do not believe that federal tax funds should fund an organization like planned parenthood, but they will continue to exist under people that believe in their mission and that should be respected. host: mitt romney has said that he has no plans to make abortion illegal. does that concern conservatives? guest: mitt romney and paul ryan have always taken the position that they believe life begins at conception. once you do that, obviously you cannot be for abortion. roe v. wade is the existing wall the land. mitt romney believes that abortion should only be allowed in the case of rape or incest to help the mother, and that has

been his sustained physician for quite a while. host: this is the headline -- "romney, abortion not part of his agenda." kentucky, democratic line, good morning. caller: these bills have come through and you have to pay. if not, next time i have members of my family that had been there five different times. you have all heard about the bill? i do not know why it is, but we should be starting here. i just care about the choice. thank you.

guest: thank you for your call. as you know, the president has kept us in iraq and afghanistan since he took office. he has announced withdrawal from afghanistan by 2014. we believe that the mission needs to be concluded. we believe it was a mistake to give a deadline. i think that there is a collective feeling that it is time to leave afghanistan and move on. my personal sense is not much different from yours. i also have family members that served in afghanistan and iraq. my feelings are not that different from yours. i think that the mitt romney feeling is that we must show strength in our military and show resolve, making sure that our number one goal as a federal government is to keep americans

safe at home and abroad. at the same token, there is not much difference in our point of view. host: republican line, ga., good morning. caller: what do you think about those 40 cities? if he is not aware, there is a youtube video. what about filtering money through to the obama campaign for progressive insurance, coca- cola co., companies like that? obama says he is getting money from contributions, but they filter that money -- other money in. i will take the answer of the air. guest: if you take a look at the money being spent in this campaign, it is $1 billion. both sides have taken money from small donors, middle sized

donors, large donors. i believe that americans have a right to put their money where their beliefs are. that is a sustainable part of our democracy. they are talking out of both sides of their mouth, frankly, belittling those who received large contributions, but they have received their fair share as well. you are either for free speech or you are not. newton before controlled spending, that is okay, but she cannot receive these funds and at the same time criticized the process. host: one of the handles from a reporter followers -- -- from our twitter follower -- host: what about they feel split loyalties? a hard one tos

sustain, logically. there are two ways to lower the unemployment rate. start looking for work, or there is an unemployment rate did take some 40,000 new jobs to be created every month in order to sustain your current levels. we had 103,000 jobs, meaning 37,000 people could not find work coming into the workplace. what is happening with this administration is the reason it is not at 11% or 15%, people have quit looking for work, the reason being our economy is that a stalemate because of our high tax rates and over-regulation with a climate that does not inspire capital of investment. if you ask most corporate directors why it is they are spending money in growing their

business in china, europe, or elsewhere, they say the business climate is better there and they can get better return for their stakeholders. my point is that we should have america be as competitive so that the capital investment and stay here to create jobs. i do not know why you would want to vote for the president if your goal is to increase employment. host: this is from "politico" today.

host: our guest runs the american conservative union and is the chairman of that organization. he served two terms as the former florida republican party chairman. jose on our independent line. caller: good morning. this is my first time. i am independent. i hear the problems about the economy. all the money that has been raised -- they should have put that money on the debt.

they blame everything on obama. all these people in congress, they did not put gas in their car. they can talk all they want. mitt romney changed his position every single minute. he should have stuck one position and people would have listened to him. doesn't know where he is going. i was independent and now i'm voting for obama. right,well, that's your jose. i disagree with your points of view. mitt romney has had the same platform. he reduced taxes 19 times and

raise the level of education where became the number 1 state in accomplishments in the country. he saved the winter olympics. he has been a successful businessman and a successful governor and a successful leader of our olympics effort. he has touched hasn turned out to be an excess. -- a success. caller: mr. conservative, new line that we are worse off four years ago. we're losing 850,000 jobs a month.

it doesn't seem to register. how are we better off losing 830,000 jobs a month? gdp at minus six. now we are at plus-two. how are we worse off under obama than bush? >> 23 million people are unemployed and out of work. that is about twice as many as when he took office. nobody is saying the country was not in bad straits when he took office. he took office and made a number of promises and he has not been able to keep any of them. he said he would reduce the

national debt by one half. we have lost our credit rating for the first time in history. he said he would create 4 million or 5 million new jobs and he was unable to do that. he said he would leave guantanamo bay. i do not think he has been able to keep many promises. you don't have to dislike president obama. i think you have to conclude he is not kept his goals or promises. when gasoline was $1.83 when he took office. the average american working family is making $4,000 a year less. he promised to cut the health insurance cost.

i could go on and on. host: chris, a republican from florida. are you hearing a lot of ads and getting a lot of phone calls? caller: every ad is negative. it is distasteful. host: how much is that influencing you? caller: i tried to ignore it. it makes both candidates look horrible. i dismiss the day when we had positive political ads -- i just miss the day when we had positive political ads. host: what is your question?

caller: i feel mitt romney has isolated himself from me and my vote. i am a student and he said he will cut financial aid for students. my mother cannot afford to pay for my school. i go full-time. the republican party is isolated, because of their republican national convention, when they took the delegates from ron paul. host: tell us what you think about your vote. are you leaning towards voting for someone else?

caller: i'm not sure. it will be between romney or gary johnson. i don't want to waste my vote on gary johnson. i want a job. we can i get a job in the current market. host: thank you for your phone call. guest: i feel for him. i think americans would feel better about the election and their choices and be better informed. mitt romney -- the more positive information about his record and his vision for the next four years. host: why aren't they more positive? guest: negative ads work.

nobody wants to stop doing them all the other side does. we should call a truce. ive.ng 50% ads positr going back to your choice as a student. here is where mitt romney is and where i am. almost 50% of college graduates are not able to find a job. we're taking a step backwards. look at the gross national products number. this country's economy is not growing. until it grows, folks like you will not find work. that is why we need a change. mitt romney never said he would stop federal programs that assist students. many students are graduating

from college with $150,000 in acquired debt. i came from a family with few means. i had to work by way through school. i had some help. some advice is to do the best you can to keep the debt down. the federal government cannot subsidize forever large amounts of money. there will always be a federal programs to help you get through school. host: gary johnson is running on the libertarian ticket. supporters in minnesota -- do you think republicans should be fighting to have his name on the ballot? guest: democrats did the same

thing with ralph nader in a close election. one or two points -- if more people would have voted for me if this person had not been on the ballot, it is it fair for the other person to be on the ballot? that is a question you have to ask. my sense is that gary johnson will be on the ballot in most states. host: what should mitt romney do about that? guest: i did not think mitt before legalizing marijuana. that's a big part of gary johnson's agenda. host: marvin from virginia,

good morning. you are on the air. caller: why do you think that mitt romney -- he is already talking too big about what he would do. he goes from one thing to the other. he is not steady. i am opposed to him being president. he went to europe to avoid the vietnam war. not one of his sons have served. guest: thank you. neither president obama nor governor romney were in the military. he did a mission for his church in europe. that was mandatory.

that is why he was in europe. the same comments jimmy co arter supporters said about ronald reagan. the cold war ended and we had a lasting peace in america for a while. i am a follower of ronald reagan. i believe his theories and fought prove to be accurate. the president wants to take $1 trillion of the national defense budgets. that would put our military in a perilous circumstances and i don't think that is a wise thing to do. 13 appropriations bills that congress pass, only two promote

economic growth. i think that is a twofer. i am with governor romney on that. host: this is a new ad narrated by morgan freeman. [video clip] >> every president in habits challenges. our enemies have been brought to justice. our heroes are coming home. assembly lines are humming again. there are still challenges to meet. the last thing we should do is turn back now. >> i'm barack obama and i approve this message. guest: i am a fan of morgan freeman when i go to the

movies. i think the middle east and the arab spring makes that area more dangers. i think these challenges in libya are troubling. let me suggest the following. our main goal is to keep our men and women who work for our country -- our first ambassador has been murdered since the 1970 's. we heard from the head security person from the state department that the ambassador had asked for additional personnel instead of the 16 people he asked for. they reduce the amount and left him with three. the white house says there were not aware that these requests were made. there were security reports from

benghazi over the last year but no action was taken to fortify our security while we send american personnel there. the vice president said they knew nothing about that. we need to get to the bottom of how secure our embassies are and how we can avoid an instance like that. i think that that is an ill- timed advertisement and it will probably come back to haunt the present's campaign. host: this is from "the new york times."

host: the back-and-forth on libya. on our democratic line. caller: did you ever fight for this country? guest: i sure tried. caller: so did romney. no one in his family history has fought for this country. host: none of the candidates have served in the military. does that concern you? caller: we have all these veterans groups.

i fought in vietnam. this guide was for that war -- this guy was for that war. he gets out and gets a deferment from the colleges. then he lays in the sun. there are no millionaires or billionaires. they are all dead. he could have fought in vietnam and then did his church work. he ran out. look at the olympics. , her sons beth' fought in afghanistan. host: thank you for your service.

none of the candidates have military service on their record. the thing that is a liability for the republican ticket -- do you think that is a liability? guest: it is the same issue -- i was listening to that call. that is an angry gentlemen. there's a lot of it in word and inward anger. people and other parts of the world are perceived enemies. i don't think it is healthy to beat that angry at one another just because we have a different point of view. this country has always been a united country. i understand things get a little

rough around campaign times. host: he brought the question of welfare and directed some of his .nger at mitt romney's wealth guest: it is part of the class warfare. i can tell you that i've been a poor person and in the middle class and more fortunate as of late. i have met good people and people i wouldn't want to be associated with it every demographic group. i think you're financial status has nothing to do with the quality of your heart. having resentment towards one another is part of what i mentioned earlier. host: what did jamaica's mitt

romney's comments -- what did you make of mitt romney's comments of the 47%? guest: he apologized for it. caller: top of the morning to you. i think the choice has been pretty easy, between the community organizer that likes to give money to unions and his friends. the other choice is a successful businessman. i thought the choice was pretty simple. they keep talking about the 800,000 that lost jobs. isn't like a million and a half a month that are losing jobs?

why is obama taking credit for the great work that the republicans who run the state's -- he is not taking credit for obamais. has spent more than $5 trillion on the promise of helping poor and middle class, but why are they doing worse? guest: i think he said it all. host: a contentious race is in missouri. claire mccaskill has a challenge from todd akin. some of the gop are choosing to return to the shunned candidate's corner. what do you think about his comments and are you supporting

him? guest: i had felt that based on the importance of winning that senate seat and the republicans get the majority of the senate, he should have resigned at the time. it was a wrong statement to make. it was divisive. he chose not to do that. now we're faced with clear mccaskill for him. being able to implement a conservative agenda is more significant. the enthusiasm for the candidate may have weathered but the goal of getting a majority in the senate is a pretty significant gold. there'll be some support for him. he is making it a closer race. host: i use supporting him? --

are you supporting him? guest: i asked him to resign. host: jacob from savannah, georgia. let's move on to al. al, good morning. cut me off.not coming o it is a shame how republicans are brainwashing the american people with their lies and the disrespect. from day one, do republicans said they would not pass anything that president obama put on the table. they said he did not keep his promise. how can he won each republican

is voting against each bill he is trying to pass -- how can he when each republican is floating against each bill he is trying to pass? you say you care about our military. obama has spoken up for veterans. democratic other caller who said romney's family has not served. the obama kids are children. he was coming up and voted iraq.t the war and bin host: thank you, al. go ahead, al cardenas. guest: i don't think the facts

reflect what you're saying. the house and senate work democratic majority for the first 10 years of president -- for the first two years of president obama's administration. you folks blame 2007, 2008 on president bush. all the bills that were passed were passed by men to pelosi and harry reid during the last two years of george bush's administration. caller: good morning.

with ally much fed up politicians. i am a registered republican but i would vote for whoever i wanted instead of putting up with this garbage that is put out for all the elections. when the gentleman was saying freedom of speech, they can spend all the money they want and follow the money. it doesn't mean you have the right to say whatever the hell you want regardless of what it is. as far as immigration, no politician is going to do anything serious about immigration because they want the immigrants to take over our jobs for minimum pay.

part of the reason for loss of jobs is what the wto. it was mentioned some years ago that we have to downgrade our employment and the salaries for employees because of the wto. guest: i sure hope we have immigration reform in our country. i will always fight hard for it . we need to have the rule of law preserved and the labor of some of the folks you're talking about. 30% of the agriculture industry was lost because -- i think in all goes in one piece and it has

to happen so everyone can prosper. the double man is part of a national trend. over 20% of americans are now independent -- the gentleman is part of a national trend. host: how does mitt romney woo conservatives and independen ts? is going toe's life change as a result of your personal decisions, regardless of who gets elected president. unless we have the right decisions being made so our country can grow and prosper. host: wynetta on our independent line.

caller: i have a question. how is it -- good morning. host: please keep going. we're listening to you. keep talking. three. i'm a mother of i i've been a florida in all my life. i notice that everything used to be good and it has turned out to be rotten. from the economy going straight down the toilet. the problem is there's not enough benefits out there to help people like me. i am dealing with disability

issues as well as of friday for might disabilities. there is no benefits out there as far as my kids getting welfare because they want you to go to work and i cannot work. my old man had a stroke two years ago. he cannot get disability, they said, unless he is married and he is not married to me. host: what should people like her do? guest: there has to be a safety net for people unable to work. i think both parties are in agreement that when the date safety net in this country -- that we need a safety net in this country.

they may well be in need of food stamps. they cannot find work because this president's policies have stalemated the economy. you have to create the conditions for capital investment in this country. with regards to the safety net and peoples who are disabled, we are a generous country. either candidate will continue to provide a safety net. host: al cardenas is the chairman of the american conservative union. thank you so much for coming in today. guest: my pleasure. host: we shift the focus to environmental and energy issues with bob deans, author of the book "reckless."

will also speak with dr. georges benjamin. federal money for public health emergencies. >> social security recipients are set to receive a slight raise next year. the boos will be between -- the boost will be between 1 $ and 2 1% to 2%. the size will be made official tomorrow. a survey by the national association for business economist predicts the jobless rate mixture will be about 8%. economists have upgraded their prediction for growth.

a new obama tv ad features a factory workers praising the president's record on job creation. it will air in key battleground states. both presidential candidates prepare for tomorrow night's debate, which you can watch on c-span. our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern time and the debate begins at 9:00 p.m.. [video clip] >> c-span brings a special perspective. if something goes on in the house and senate, c-span coverage of this authoritatively, very very well and it is one of the major new sources -- news sources.

we're struggling with what will happen with health care. we're worried about the financial system. c-span is the voice in terms of what the congress is doing in terms of the financial system. >> c-span, created in 1979 and brought to is a public service by your local television provider. >> "washington journal" continues. host: our guest bob deans is the author of the book "reckless: the political assault on the american environment." thank you and good morning. a story today in the tribune newspapers. this is from over the weekend.

host: where is the conversation going in terms of energy? guest: i think the president and government have played out two different versions. security, diversity, and trying to increase our oil out put. put. it is up 24%. he is pushing efficiency and diversity. governor romney is focusing on traditional fossil fuel approaches. his approach would retain subsidies for oil and gas. he turns his back on the public

investment in renewals and efficiencies. host: jim jordan was on "newsmakers" yesterday. let's take a listen. [video clip] >> i think it will be difficult for people to vote for the most coal president in history. the infatuation of anything green. more and more information comes out -- this is the solyndra program. money was spent on 26 programs. 22 programs had junk status.

it was ok to give them your tax dollars. host: you can see that on our website in its entirety. is the obama's stance on coal liability? guest: no one has paid a higher price than the people of ohio. cleveland has some of the worst air in the country. this is directly related to the coal that is being burned for electricity. a lot of people are turning to natural gas to make electricity instead of coal. has gone from being

about half of our electricity to about 35%. host: this is a recent piece from the huffington post. it looks that states like west virginia. democrats need to have a different message at the presidential level. guest: senator rockefeller was talking about coal and said the coal industry needs to start telling the truth. we're seeing curriculum's exploding in west virginia. wind turbines are going up. that's where the future is. host: let's take a look at an ad

that is airing this month, all about coal and the presidential campaign. [video clip] >> under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would skyrocket. so somebody wants to build a plant, they can. it will bankrupt them. >> i think our energy policy is the best it is ever been. guest: electricity prices have not skyrocketed under this presidt. that was an old clip. we're getting 4% of our electricity from wind. that is a good start. this is the direction the

president is trying to take the country. host: we are talking about energy issues with bob deans, senior adviser to the national resources defense council action fund and also the author of the book "reckless." here are the numbers to call. host: there is a story from september in "the new york times." in 2008, there was a message supporting renewable energy by both candidates.

host: what has changed? guest: the fossil fuel industry is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to try to confuse us. corn is burning up in our fields and ice is melting. they are trying to change the conversation and our succeeding t. some exten we have never seen the kind of assault from a single industry on a president. the focus on renewable energy has become political. if we can save money at the pump, we like that idea. if we can double the efficiency of our cars, let's save $1,200,

$1400 a year. americans like that idea. host: hi, matt. caller: i am from new york and i traveled back to visit family in new york. i have noticed an abundance of windmills going up. everybody says their property taxes are going down because of that. i don't understand why congress does not approve tax credits for windmills. oil prices are at almost any record level per barrel. we're paying outrageous gas prices. oil is around $90 a barrel.

it doesn't make sense to me. guest: congratulations rebate packers -- congratulations for your big packers win last night. these wind turbines are making a big difference for many people. they bring in revenue for folks who need it. this was the worst drought we've had in half a century. tax prices are going down for communities that are benefiting from wind revenues. it is a boon out of the heartland. we're getting 4% of our electricity nationally from wind. in iowa, 20%. this is making a big difference.

congress needs to reenact that. two pennies per kilowatt hour. we need to invest in our future in that way. gasoline right now is $3.66 per gallon for regular. the lesser of the bush administration, it was $3.27 a gallon. we have seen an increase over the past four years. adjusted for inflation, we're back at 2008 levels. host: this is why "the washington post" had to say.

guest: people do want these vehicles. we're on track to sell half a million hybrids and electric cars this year. that is up 64% from a year ago. that is an astonishing success story. people do want the stories when given the option to buy them. the average car on the road is getting about 22 miles per gallon. you can save call upon dollars a year if you move that up to 40 miles per gallon. the fourth focus will get -- the

ford focus gets over 100 miles per gallon. caller: i would like to request that c-span douai show on now on top removing mining. i am a retired union coal miner. i'm not anti-coal. i think bob deans is trying to take a position and i think he is riot. is right.d he they have refused to issue these permits. there are 23 scientific studies

that say if you live in or around it now top removal money, you're up to 60% more likely to develop a cancer that can terminate your life. guest: i appreciate that. now top removing is one of the most destructive practices we have. there is a coal mining company that had a plan to destroy an area and to dump that into the streams. the epa steppedin and said, let's not do that. can come up with a different plan? the epa said it cannot destroy those streams.

the legs of the eps were cut out. host: fillip from texas -- philip. caller: i have ideas for wind energy. president obama said we are all -- the republicans are his enemy. "mitch mcconnell said we want to make a may one-term presidents." -- we want to make him a one- term president." they are doing wind energy all wrong. less bow.m was bel i don't give my enemies good

ideas. guest: thank you. it is unfortunate we refer to people as enemies. wind energy has been a bone in texas. -- has been a boon for texas. these wind turbines are helping farmers and ranchers. host: this is from "the washington post," a comparison among the candidates.

host: has the push for renewable energy been dampened by republican criticism of the solyndra? guest: i think trying to politicize cylinder was a mistake -- to publicize solyndra was a mistake. we have 5000 solar companies in this country that are doing well. people are helping to build solar facilities around the country. an industry that made $137 billion in profits continues to get a handout from hard-working americans that are struggling to pay the bills and struggling to

keep a senior in a health-care facility. they should not be required to spend one more dime to do that. host: welcome. caller: you look terrific today. host: thank you. caller: i would like to know who was funding all these windmills ? i think they are a blight on the landscape. doesn't all this wind increase the amount of fuel you need to possibly heat your home? it is crazy what is going on. we keep fighting with mother nature. who is funding this? guest: most of the funding comes from private industry.

they know they can make a good profit. it is a real resource that people can use. we are an electric society. -- we are an electric society. when you talk to the ranchers and farmers that have wind turbines, they love them. they say there is no noise and the cattle like it. it's been a real asset to the heartland of america. there is a ballot initiative that will provide 25% of michigan's energy as renewable fuel by 2025. is a good idea and i hope you vote for it. caller: i am a college student.

the last argument of mitt romney bashing president obama spending, much bunny on the going green idea. we have been learning in the college how much our world is getting affected by this global warming. when the president is trying to -- i did not get that. are we losing our common sense? spending and investing money is a good thing. i am enjoying the comments. before this discussion, we did not know wind energy was the stuff -- it was helping and i'm

enjoying the discussion on that. people around the world are being benefited. so i hope everybody gets a chance to hear it and take something positive out of that. this will affect everybody. it doesn't matter which party you belong to. guest: 74% of the public wants something done about climate change. that was a poll from "the washington post" that came out in august. we need to do this for climate and our health and our economy because it is creating jobs.

american people understand. the american people did not ask for green technology to be politicized. polluters spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbied in congress. that is what is happening and that has changed the conversation. that is what you need to remember. host: you have addressed where the ads come from. why isn't president obama talking about that? we're not hearing it on the campaign trail. ard it at theerded o convention speeches. weird obama say, change is not a

hoax -- we heard obama say climate change is not a hoax. it was 118 degrees in kansas last summer. people have to liquidate cattle herds. there were record temperatures in virginia. we had the hottest summer in history. 113 degrees in south carolina. people know what is going on. climate change is not a hoax. drought, melting ice is not a hoax. caller: thank you for c-span.

i would like you to explain why gas prices are so high in california. gentlemen like your guest are in control of california and have destroyed the ability to build power stations. as far as climate change, the fact is the scandal regarding the e-mails and the corruption of the data was proven. i would like to go into mr. gore's energy credits scandal in the cap and trade at how people have corrupted that and failed to make money on that. it has been debunked and the president's -- host: you brought up a lot of

points. guest: thank you, edward. gas prices in california -- there were two huge refineries that shut down for different reasons and that shorten the supply for gasoline in california. they pay premium grade gasoline in california and can sell every drop of that gasoline that they produce for a premium. as for the climate, there has been confusion but this is not about e-mails. this is about arctic ice melting. the lowest level in history. we are not talking about a small measure. we have lost arctic ice, enough

to cover the east coast of the united states. the pentagon flies a satellite over that ice 14 times each day. that ice is melting and not coming back. the planet is warming because of our fossil fuel consumption. host: bob deans is the author of the book "reckless: the political assault on the american environment" and a senior adviser at the natural resources defense council action fund. one of the political implications -- what are the political implications? guest: that is not good news for

the sitting president. we cannot predict or control the global markets. we are moving in that direction, but we are in the world oil market of 75 million barrels of oil per day. we produce six. the global market is 75. we can only influence the market so much. we will be held hostage to the prices. what we're trying to do is reduce -- reduce reliance so we are not held hostage as communities, an economy as the global crisis that we could be their control or perfect. >> good morning. caller: could you please answer the question. we have landfills all over this country spewing methane gas that

can be used to run vehicles or run a fleet on it. in wisconsin the industrial areas are running entire electric plants and heating pleiads on missing gas. could you please tell me why no one is going after the methane gas? -- in wisconsin, the industrial areas are running entire electric plants and heating plants on methane gas. could you please explain this? guest: it was the johnson company in wisconsin that is producing electricity, and generating electricity for the company's up there. almost exclusively through an adjacent land bill. it works very well, and you make a great point. it is a very powerful methane gas.

even more so the methane powering the post. we need to be doing more of it. you are exactly right. >> listening to a comment president obama made back in march. he was visiting oklahoma. he was visiting the pipeline southern half. here is what president obama had to say. [video clilp >p] >> under my administration, we are producing more oil than any other point in the administration. over the past three years i have directed my administration acresen up millions of o of oil and gas exploration. we're opening up more than 75% of the potential oil resources offshore. we of quadrupled the number of

operating rigs to our record high. we have added the enough new oil and gas pipelines to circle the earth and then some. so we are drilling all over the place right now. host: present obama back in march in cushing, oklahoma. speaking of a pro-development message. bob deans, is that the direction the whole campaign is taking on the democratic and republican side? guest: i think what president obama has recognizes the need to do three things. we need to diversify the energy supply. we need to become more efficient so we can do more with less. but he is also moved forward with energy security. energy production is up 24% since the man took office. we are drilling a higher rate than we have at any time in 30 years. we have drilled 12,000 new oil rigs in the first six months of the year. nobody anywhere is doing

anywhere close to that. abouts, let's talk permits on federal land, because that has been a bone of contention. this president issued 4500 permits for oil and gas drilling on federal lands in his first year of office. that is 30% more than george bush issued and his first year of office. he has issued more than 13,000 permits on federal land. the idea we are exploring for federal and gas -- for oil and gas on federal land is moving forward. the result is the opec imports are down 27% since the president took office. when he took office we reporting 47% of oil. now is 42%. -- we were importing 47% of oil. it is about security, efficiency, diversity. host: the president is

campaigning as a champion of the oil and gas boom he has had nothing to do with and even as regulators try to stifle it. guest: you know, that is just nonsense. what has happened in alaska is this president has approved and drilling in the arctic shell, started drilling there last month. we think it is a mistake. we think it is wrong. we do not think we should take the risk of an oil disaster in the arctic that we experienced in the gulf of mexico just two years ago when we blew a hole in the ocean, killed 11 american workers and put crude-oil in some of the most wrenching -- most rich fishing areas in the world. what they're really annoyed about is we have not opened up the alaska wildlife reserve that was set aside by a point eisenhower as a legacy for our

children so that our children could avoid the national splendor -- could enjoy the national splendor of our country. host: tom on the democrat line. caller: good morning. good to speak with both of you. i was speaking to a climate scientist last year, and he informed me there are two studies now that show there is up 4% reduction in the amount of oxygen in the biosphere over the past 80 years. that poor trends to the future -- that pertains to the future. the lake i live on is over 2 s everawyower than it have been. the whole area here nearly burned down.

and i live in a forest. why in the world are we lacking so far behind in building high- speed trains? our neighbor is building like crazy. a lot of our politicians are taking credit for the fact we are producing more oil. at the same time, they are producing more pollution. environmenting the 24-7. they're harming its at an increasing rate. we are attacking the bias there every day. host: let me ask you what this means for campaign 2012 and your vote. caller: of a practical person.

i would vote for president obama even though i do not agree with him on many issues. host: also, the question of where environmentalists choose to put their vote. are you concerned about strong environmentalist not being motivated even by president obama to come out in support him when they see clips of him talking about drilling and such? guest: it is a great question. i covered the white house for eight years. i know little bit about it. nobody gets it right all the time, every time. any president you can make a case for throwing them out of office after the first term. the question is, which of these people is going to lay out a vision that most comports with where we the people believe the country should be headed? that is the question before us when you put everything else aside.

i think that is what we need to look at. whether you are in the environmental community, business community or anywhere else. we're pulling all that together and making a decision about what is best for our country in future. host: stand in oregon. good morning. republican, and i would love a car that would run a cup of water, but i think a lot of the problems i have with the agenda for the united states, but if we shut down the coal mine in america and go to china, what have we done for any global environmental things. i am of the lower upper middle

income who can afford the $30,000 cars. guest: great questions. i do not think it is strange. i would like my car to run on a couple water, too. i was in china in 1989. i was there for a month. i cover that. i do not think anyone in america wants to live in a country like china, but we cannot let that be an argument for inaction. we cannot let that because for paralysis in this country. we must do what we can do to make our workers more competitive, to make our children healthier in our country more secure. that is where we have to stay focused. as far as the cost, i am with you. they are little bit out of my price range right now, too.

we are getting other cars that are getting good mileage. the chevy cruz, 42,000 -- 42 miles per gallon on the highway. detroit has gotten the message that americans do like the idea of saving 1400 per year at the pump. host: catfish kim tweeted -- it is so serious, why do both parties support chinese manufacturing so strongly? we have a handful of police refuting common to have made, people who do not clearly believe in global warming. guest: whether i believe it or not, the ice is gone. talk to the folks at the pentagon. the united states navy cares quite a bit about the ocean. they want to know where the global rivals my people to take

ships. we have satellite photographs of the ice. i am not making it up. this is coming from the pentagon. as far as what catfish kim says, that is a great comment and great source of trade squabble. at the end of the debris of a free market or we do not. it is not the politicians were making the decisions when you pick up a pair of jeans and wal- mart -- in wal-mart that were made in china. it is the consumer. host: next calller. independent and pepsi-cola, florida. -- in pensacola, florida. caller: i hope to refute this scientists use to is a water cooler for obama. i hope you will have mr. john hoffmeister on your show who

could refuse to about 100 percent of what this guy said. let me make a couple of points, and i will have sources, not just regurgitate the left-wing view on this. according to bloomberg, chevrolet targeted 11,000 production vehicles -- 10,000 production vehicles of the volt for the year 2011. they have only produced 6300. your guest said there were flocking to buy it. even 10,000 units in car sales is a joke. i attended the university of miami. the cover of "time" magazine said be where upcoming ice age. a scientist has published. i did not have time to go through it all.

basically it is affecting climate. guest: think you. chevrolet sold 3000 volts in the month of august alone. -- thank you. i am not a scientist, but i do believe the american academy of sciences would they tell me what is happening to our world because it was 1863 when congress started the american academy. they said we want you to be our national braintrust to tell us what is happening around the world. 1863 is a pretty serious moment in our country's history. there were serious. with the american academy of science -- when the american academy of sciences the climate is changing and is a threat to our future, i do not know about you, but i believe them. when the pentagon tells me the ice is melting, i believe them. when i tell -- when a stand with the kansas corn farmer who tells me he is never seen a drought

like this in his life, i believe him. when i stand with a fire fighter in colorado who tells me i have been fighting fires since the 1970's and have never seen anything like this and just getting worse every year, i believe him. host: last call from gainesville, florida. antonio. caller: i will be brief. when it comes to energy issues in the economy, we to keep in mind some of the bush policies are what got us into the miess. republicans do not want to support the president, because doing so would give a credit to the president. we have a stalemate. how do you think, regardless of what person wins, how do you think the next president will overcome this and be able to get something done?

guest: thank you. great question and great closer. presidents going back to president nixon has been confronting energy challenge. energy is fundamental to everything we do in life. presidents going back to richard nixon have been telling us we have to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. finally we ever president was doing something about it. oil opec imports are down. overall 47% when it took office. now they're 42 percent. lots of folks talk about change, but this is someone doing something about it. that is the kind of vision we have for our future. host: one of our callers, joe from west virginia asked about montauk mining. there are shows and their video library where we talk about montauk mining. we uncover house and senate hearings on that issue. we have had guests including

lisa jackson on to talk about it. you could talk about it -- find that on c-span video library at c-span.org. thank you for coming in, bob dean. the author of his latest book "reckless." he is senior adviser at the national resources defense council action fund. coming next, our your money segment looks at public funding for public health and dealing with public health emergencies. first, a news update from c-span radio. >> laurence pope, the new u.s. envoy to tripoli, liberally -- libya and his first remarks says the u.s. would continue "on the continue on the path" of chris

stevens who was killed in a terrorist attack. he went on to say the u.s. is determined to bring to justice the perpetrators of that attack. the incident has triggered a debate in washington over whether the visitor -- ambassador and mission were given sufficient protection. turning to the economy, the commerce department says retail sales rose sharply in december, reflecting higher consumer confidence and improve and the job market. consumers bought more cars, gasoline, and electronics. sales rose just over 1 percent in september after a 1.2% rise in august that was revised higher. both were the largest since october 2010. stock futures reacted to the games are seeing gains. s&p 500 futures up 7.9 points. the dow adding 60. the nasdaq 100 are of 19. those are some of the latest headlines on c-span radio.

>> take a look as he stands debate have. video of the vice-presidential debate in the presidential debate from earlier this month or seek individual clips of each question. tuesday you can see live, behind-the-scenes coverage. engage with livege was liv tweets from political reporters in your own. host: monday's we look at your money, how taxpayer dollars are spent. what programs they go to into the service. this morning we are looking up public health emergencies and how federal dollars help to deal with them. our guest is the executive director of the american public health association. -- our guest this morning is the executive director of the american public health association, dr. georges benjamin. guest: we represent state and

local health departments, people who advocate for a range of health organizations. >> when we talk about a public health emergency, what does that really encompass? are we talking about the things like the recent cases of steroid injections causing meningitis? anything that requires a disease detective. after a tornado, hurricane, a terrorist attack. big outbreaks of measles can very much be public help. host: kennedy something like these that injections? -- can it be something like these bad injections? guest: yes, it can be anything. host: to talk with our guest, we

have the numbers on the screen. a story from "the washington post." as the meningitis outbreak spread, public health funds shrink. it says the center for disease control's among the federal agencies that face budget cuts under the threatened sequestration that congress may deal with. what is the state of public health funded? guest: many years public health has been underfunded. we've spent a fair amount of time, practically after 9/11, and the west nile fire is really trying to build up the capacity problem.blic helalth

tragically we have the recession and loss of memory and have begun to reduce the funds. that is made it much more difficult to respond when we have these kinds of emergencies. host: taking a look at the dollars in play. this is from their president budget request. $1.2 billion money to go toward state and local prepared this. cdc prepared is in response, 147 million. talking about what some of these funds would go towards. what is the difference between state and local response is like verses the cdc? guest: the latest case of the steroid injection started and massachusetts allegedly but the

first case was in tennessee. many, many states were involved. that means you have to have a robust federal presence as well as state and local presence. that means disease detectives of the state and local level and detectives at the national level. host: phone call in from nashville, tennessee. hcaller: would you please speak to the growing epidemic of obesity and how we use federal dollars to limit sugar consumption for children much like alcohol and tobacco, which seems to be a global crisis. guest: let me just own upright of front, i am not that this guy in the world, so i understand the challenges of mound -- around maintaining your weight. having said that, every american should do that.

the first up is what we can do ourselves to try to improve our health. there are many of the things that can happen. we know this epidemic has grown in kids. i am an internal medicine doctor in my original base. i can tell you we never ever saw diabetes.pipetype ii now it is more common than usual. kids are overweight and get diabetes as a cause of that. they did not handle sugar very well. our society has changed. we are eating out more. we of larger portion sizes. we have sugary drinks. there are many things we can do to make healthy choices easier choice. that means educating kids so that they know about the number of calories they are consuming and to make healthier choices when they're eating every day.

>> talking about public health emergencies and how federal dollars deal with them. one of the items we just read off a moment ago was for the strategic national stockpile to the tune of $486 million. what is the stockpile? guest: is one of the jewels of the internal the events function. it is basically a huge palette of medications, syringes, and indeed from a medical perspective in an emergency. having used it, the state health official in maryland with anthrax threat was here, and we had to hand out lots of cipiro. we needed a lot of logistical stuff, and the stockpile was a lifesaver in order to get the medications needed in order to protect people after that kind of event. host: keith joins us from troy, ohio.

caller: i was wondering how the cdc and government is addressing the problems of a global pandemic and how it is spending money on trying to prevent it from occurring or mitigating the possibilities of it and how they're trying to work with other international organizations, other governments to deal with such problems in the future. guest: we have had several major infectious diseases over the past several years from sars, to h1n1. the first thing we do is have surveillance of systems that go around the world and look for new organisms. all of the labs around the various nations are linked. the shares specimens. they talk to one another on a recurring basis. we find, particularly with find thata, we

organism has changed its structure. we tried to craft a vaccine to protect people from that. this year's new flu shot contains two new strains in order to make sure we're up to date and protected. h1n1 was a pandemic. it was an infectious disease of a new strain of flu that changed substantially enough that most of us have not seen it before. we recently had a pandemic. the good news is we usually do not see them except for 10-20 years or more. hopefully we will not see one again for quite a while. host: dr. georges benjamin executive director of the american public health association. and he has held this job since 2002. just about 10 years now.

previous jobs include services of secretary of maryland department of health and mental hygiene -- a dental hygiene. he also as a lot of experience on the ground. he managed 72,000 patient visits ambulatory medical center. with the chief of emergency medicine at walter reed. give us a sense of how a public health emergency develops. anders, a doctor. what is the first time there's something wrong, and what do you do? -- a nurse or doctor. guest: someone that sees something that is unusual because of the disease pass or they have seen four or five of these and they say why do we have four or five of these from the weathering or dinner -- wedding or dinner? they notify the cdc. hopefully there put together

with other reports and people begin to connect the dots and realize we of a pretty big outbreak. the way we discover -- the way we discover the causes of aids were people looking at the utilization of rare pharmaceuticals for infections. they said we have one over here, one of the state. these infections are quite rare. when they do that they begin to connect the dots and ultimately figure out we had a new disease process. >host: patricia from illinois on the independent line. good morning. caller: good morning. dr. benjamin, i would like you to respond to the unavailability of vaccinations and the cost of vaccinations to people who are not on any government program. i just recently had a flu vaccination and it was $28.

i have no insurance. $28 is a great deal of money for me. i wanted to get hepatitis a and b, but that was $60. and pneumonia vaccination was close to $70. when i called my help department to inquire, they were equal to the cost. i would venture to say might be an excellent idea if vaccinations were given freely and as a priority. as we speak of priorities, when i look at the pitiful amount that is validated for the general public health of the nation and how you are destined to protect the public health on such a small amount of like to say is as we spend more than $1

billion per minute or more, i can say to you i believe our nation's priorities are for mythically skewed. i wish you all the best, sir, and i know you have a tremendous job to do. my best wishes for your good work. thank you. guest: the affordable care act is fully implemented, the problem gets much better. vaccination is a preventive services, and under most insurance plans that would be considered preventive services and covered under that. you will see dramatic reductions in price, and in many patients -- and in many cases free. at low cost to you or within your premium. hoping it takes care of a lot of the preventive services, not just vaccinations but mammograms and colonoscopy iys d

a whole range of real good screening tests. host: monte writes on twitter, should we consider cancer of public health emergency? guest: look at it as a population basis. we like to look up big numbers. when the calller talked about obesity, but calller pointed out we have had dramatic increase in the number people obese. if we did not do something about that and retard the growth, it will cost as more money and more lives. cancer is a challenge. first of all, a cancer is many diseases. we do have clusters of cancers. cancers that are exposed to chemicals. we have thing that happens in

communities, and we do investigate cancer clusters to see if there is something we could do to prevent the outbreak. it could be three people, by people, six people. the important thing is it is preventable. host: we are talking with dr. georges benjamin. we're looking at federal dollars that go to public health n emergencies. joyce from missouri. caller: following on the question regarding cancer. i have a nine-year-old autistic grandson. when he was originally diagnosed 13-14 years ago, the members present in the american population were one out of 160 children affected. that number has grown to one out of 80. a lot of people are misinformed

and believe it is a mental illness. there is a catalyst somewhere that is bringing this very debilitating life-altering dizzies to the forefront -- disease to the forefront. what kind of cluster tracking or numbers information are you working on to assist the autism community in determining why children, otherwise normal, the germans -- are determined to be autism spectrum? guest: amazing question and important question. >> we're seeing many more cases of autism. we do not really know for sure what causes it. the center for disease control and prevention is looking at tracking those kinds of cases, as well as the national institute of help doing basic

research to try to get to the root cause of autism. working with a range of advocacy group and parent groups. we're working to provide support as a nation. i mean the public health community probably will provide support for those families and children with autism. now a growing population of adults with autism and doing the research about trying to figure out what to do about it. it is one of the many health problems. when you ask for your federal help dollars are going, it is going to the systems to address the problems. -- federal health dollars are going, it is going to the systems to address the problems. caller: their record to hire a new public health officer in our county. the gentleman who applied for the position, i asked him

whether or not -- it was a two- year position. the idea he gave me is when they were on vacation the guise that homeland security was going to supply funds for, they were going to teach him to go out and inspect septic systems and to help officers jobs and duties locally. there are 92 counties in indiana. they each got $42,000 per year for two years. would we be better off taking this tremendous amount of homeland security funds and reinvesting it in the health of the populations rather it then depending on whenever the winds are of homeland security? would that be a better allocation of funds? host: let's get a response from dr. georges benjamin. guest: we have a very

complicated emergency system. when we need the people, we need the people. i think it is important for the listeners to understand and speaking specifically to you. public health has a very broad mission. the challenge we have a, as you pointed out, is trying to do as much as quickly and with very limited resources. -- as much as we can with very limited resources. the time has come to protect the public interest in it and maintain the capacity just as we do with the military. that means we have to spend the right amount of money in the right places at the right time, and stopped doing what i call yoyo funding. often happens is a public budget problem happens, and we throw a lot of money at it, and just before we get our hands around the problem, we pull back

funding. the problem surfaces and that we have to put more money in to rebuild the infrastructure. i think that needs to stop. host: recent reporting on the meningitis outbreak -- guest: these are significant cuts. for some it is as moving the money around, but never mind people public health emergency is everyone's a good job. was mild virus or the anthrax letters, i had to pull people

from other duties within the health department in order to supplement the duties were prepared this and emergency. if you cut the chronic disease program, you are cutting out the service capacity to respond when a tornado hits or hurricane hit. we had a tornado that hit southern maryland. i was of days the about the public help work we had to do. we had to secure food that was laying around. we have people out of power and had to make sure people knew they could not eat out of our refrigerator was there. we had to make sure the water was safe to drink. we have to make sure we could get people detect a shot. this was a time when there was a shortness and tetanus shots. -- there was a short -- shortage of technician ounce. the people clearing the trees in doing the work got injured. there is a whole range of public activity, including mental

health of the community. when you lose everything, as we've seen with many of these emergencies we have had, that is a huge mental and stress pole. there is a public response to that as well. host: raj, independent calller. caller: my question is this, what role are education institutions related? what are we doing to educate people on the preventive medicinmechanisms? guest: there is a growing movement to make sure people at all levels of education get experience and global health and population health, whether it is through the schools, through the libraries or the internet, and the public health community is

responding by helping to make sure the information given to the population is accurate and factual and valid. people can get this information in a timely way. everything you read or see on the internet is not necessarily accurate. i am encouraged people to go to trusted sources to get the information. host: dr. georges benjamin executive director of the american public health association. deb is on the line. caller: i think it is rather sad we have to call in on our political lines because there is no politics in health. what this man says, i believe in. two things to ask him. number one, i am 50 years old. when i was a kid we had dentists and dental school people would come into school in handout toothbrushes and toothpaste.

they did not do that anymore. i think so -- than to help in this country -- i have had about will were broken off for the past year in cannot get anything done. and i am a cancer patient, stage three. my first question is about dental. my second question is about medications. my medications comes through the mail. i notice the last time my pain pills did not work, and there was something wrong with them. i am wondering who makes them and inspect these things? spects these things? i know when the pills are not working and when the pain increases. being a cancer patient, this is very important to me. who inspects the generics? there are people in nursing homes that may be getting debate

switch and old people that may be laying in bed in pain? it worries me. i wanted of who was looking out for these generics -- what to know he was looking at out for the generics? guest: i agree with you on there is no room for politics in health. we're spending $1.5 billion for health each year get not as healthy as we could be. we have a fairly robust food and drug administration in this country, which insures the drugs that we get are safe and effective. it is challenged. this is another area where there is great underfunding and lots of political fights within the beltway about the appropriateness of regulatory authority and funding and i've been in this town a long time.

the interesting thing is all of that stuff goes away when something bad happens. we would like to see as happening of -- us have enough happening -- it means regulatory folks need to do a good job doing what they're doing, and we need thoughtful consumers. we have to of the feedback mechanism so when the consumer does not get a product that will work, they can let somebody know, and then the appropriate investigation can occur. my first thought to the calller is to let your pharmacist no, as well as your doctor. then the fda, i believe has a mechanism for consumers to let them know they're not getting the product validation.

host: for more on the meningitis outbreak, go to the cesium library at c-span.org. also, you can see a list of the past show. thanks to dr. georges benjamin. let's keep going with the calls. dorothy and the independent line. the independent line. caller: would you recommend a sk we should keep on hand? i live by myself and not around people. would you recommend a mask we could get from the drugstore or something? guest: that is one of the challenges about whether they are very effective. i think we should all practice

good, basic types -- and hygiene. encourage everyone to wash their hands frequently in cover their nose and mouth when they caught in sneeze. -- when they cough and sneeze. the problem with the mass is most of them did not fit very well. the mask it gives you additional cover. if someone is copping in your face, it is likely to impede some of the particles, but unless you have a well-bit mask -- well-fit mask, it does not do much good. unfortunately because you can breathe around them and air particles are very small and they can literally get around the side of the mask. but if it makes you feel better it will impede anything coming directly in front of you. i enter rich people around you to cover their nose and mouth

when the cough or sneeze is the best way to prevent these kinds of infections. of course, cleaning common things we touch like doorknobs, bathrooms. going to the restroom to washer and very well. use a paper towel to open and close the door so you did not get the germans other people have -- the germs other people have. host: how much of emergency prepared this is dealing with it ahead of time verses dealing with it what happens? guest: we do is tell people to be prepared for three days. enough water for three days for each person. hhaving canned foods around. what you want to think about is what would happen to you if you were snowed in for three days or

you were blocked in your street because of an accident for about three days? that means making sure you have medications. if you have a medical problem. having enough medication so you can last three days. the three days may not be long enough for a long disaster like something like katrina but it gives most of us an edge. having an emergency kids in the back of your car. first aid kits. in emergency care or even by the band-aids and bandages in case someone gets injured at home. is a good thing to do. host: dr. georges benjamin mentioned his institute's address. how much is spent on prevention

versus the aftermath or impact? guest: we spend a lot of time thinking about prevention. simple things. making sure we have everyone's telephone numbers. making sure we have phones and mechanism so we can talk to one another. making sure we have systems that are looking to see what diseases are in communities. surveillance is to see when flu has entered a community. encouraging people to get their flu shot as an example of good prevention. host: steve in massachusetts on the democrat line. caller: i wanted to bring up something when he mentioned the of funding for hiv and hepatitis c programs. in my state we have been devastated and prevention programs. when we had significant funding we for able to do things that

made a difference. the numbers of the epidemic went down. all of a sudden those funds had disappeared so the numbers will go back up. and this is kids in school regarding hiv. the programs for doctors and nurses have been cut. i take it as a real shame that we had the network to make a difference and did have it and now we're being penalized. guest: i was in the early part of the epidemic. watching people here in washington, d.c., die on a daily basis was terrible. we basically have converted aides to be a chronic disease. that is the good news. the bad news is what we have normalized some parts of testing, we still have a large amount of people that do not know the status. we have a lot of people that think the disease has passed so we do not need to fund it anymore. we need to maintain vigilance.

it has not gone away. we have a dual epidemic of hiv and hepatitis c and the epidemic of hiv aids, hepatitis c, and tuberculosis. host: a story in fox news today -- how crucial is vaccination and talking about education to you? guest: it is very important. host: in light of public health emergencies or preparing for what could become an emergency. guest: we do not want to be the vaccine police or help police for anybody. our job is to educate people.

we want you to be informed so you could make informed decisions. we might nag you because that is what doctors and nurses do, but the job is to make you well informed. hpv is an exec -- is an excellent example. this is the first vaccine that actually prevents a virus that causes cancer. it is an anti-cancer vaccine. it is put in that context, just like a vaccine for chicken pox, and done early enough so there is no connection between the vaccine in sexual activity. it is there to protect you from getting cancer. i think putting in that context and educating people -- kids are very smart. they know a lot more than we think they know. they are going to make informed decisions.

then we need to work with them on other issues. trying to encourage them to be abstinent until marriage will be very important. host: minneapolis. a democratic calller. caller: good morning dr. benjamin. i will tell you a history and my health and what president obama says that if you lose your health, you could go bankrupt. host: does this relate to emergencies? caller: yes, because i have to go on the state health insurance back in 2007 because of lost my health insurance. he said something about how obama's plan will help people pretty rich like brazil. -- pretty much like myself. host: we're talking about

preventive care. caller: i just got two cortisone injections in my spine in september, so i am leading up to that. the fact is that minnesota, i believe, has really great health care. they helped me in a great way starting from 2006-2007. i am one of the 47% people that because of minnesota's health care has helped me. i thank god i did not get meningitis from the cortisone injections. guest: you know, we hope again -- my organization -- we were there since the beginning. we've been promoting the idea of getting everyone universal

access to health care coverage. we certainly hope you will benefit from the affordable care at. we look forward to you having improved health. host: michael, good morning. independent calller. and caller: dr. benjamin, i would like to ask you a question about genetically modified organisms and whether they pose a threat to public health. we have these large companies, are they using us as guinea pigs? and you think they pose a public health emergency? guest: you know, we're learning more and more about what the gene that does every day. it is a marvelous structure within our bodies and with an

organ -- within other organisms. we are able to lots of things to change and manipulate genes. i think opportunity for using genetic manipulation in a variety of places is wondrous and an amazing opportunity. on the other hand, i give everyone else great caution that we do it in an ethical manner, a manner that is safe, and of course only do the things that we know our state. and host: independent calller. talking about federal funding for public health emergencies. caller: october 1 an article -- article appeared in the newspaper and directed at the elderly. medicare will start fining hospitals that have too many patients admitted -- readmitted, within 30 days of discharge.

for the first year the penalty capped at 1% of the hospitals' medicare payments. under the health-care the penalties gradually will rise until 3% of medicare payments are find it. will this also cover medicaid patients or is this only directed at the elderly? guest: let me make sure people understand that here is the issue that i think the center for medicare and medicaid services is trying to get to. you take your car into the shopping to get something fixed and then you leave, it is not quite fixed. it is usually taken back to the same shop and said -- and say you did not fix my car right.

we're hoping when you go to the hospital that hospitals have a little more diligence are run taking care of you in making sure you leave it appropriately. and when you leave the hospital that you of all the things you need to make sure you could do well in the community. there is a growing movement to try get to both incentivize the health systems and penalize them to try to improve the quality. far too often people leave the hospital only to be readmitted very shortly afterwards. when you go back and look at the system you find something that could have prevented the hospital readmission. part of this is to make sure hospitals both are incentivized to put in place the system to mixture that does not happen.

it really is not an issue between seniors or medicaid. i say as a former medicaid director in the state of maryland, we had the enormous clout to inspect hospitals and deal with hospital readmission issue in a variety of ways when it was brought to our attention. the federal government is trying to do something very similar. sometimes it is used as penalties and sometimes of the regulatory action. host: dr. georges benjamin, it the sequestration goes forward, the across-the-board cuts that go into effect unless congress acts, what will it mean for public health emergencies? guest: this is a very big problem. the defense department has done a very good job and telling them how it will be the end of the world. we are ready lost 50,000 public health jobs in the past two yedu